Richard Dykstra '65

Football

A versatile athlete as well as a diligent student, Dykstra was a three-time all-Iowa Conference football running back/defensive back selection and an NAIA all-district pick.

Dykstra served as a co-captain of the 1964 team that shared coach Ron Schipper’s first league title. The team posted a 7-1-0 record. That year, the Dutch recorded their biggest win in the history of the college with an 83-0 victory over Iowa Wesleyan. Central shut out opponents in four games Dykstra’s senior season.

The Runnells, Iowa, native was also an all-league selection in baseball.
Dykstra earned his Ph.D. degree in just three years at the University of Iowa, and then taught at the University of Missouri for 14 years before becoming a professor of statistics at Iowa in 1982. The author of numerous professional journal articles and a recognized leader in his academic field, Dykstra received Central’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1991.